CLEVELAND (Florida Sports Wire) – The Cleveland Browns (8-5) defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars (8-5), 31-27, at Cleveland Browns Stadium on Sunday. This marked the Jaguars first road loss of the season.
Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence completed 28 passes on 50 attempts for 257 yards and three touchdowns. He also tossed three interceptions. Tight end Evan Engram had 11 receptions for 95 yards and caught two touchdowns. Lawrence’s 19-yard touchdown pass to Parker Washington capped a 75-yard drive.
The Jaguars defense posted three takeaways, two forced fumbles and one interception. Jacksonville entered today’s game tied for second in turnovers forced in the NFL and now have 24 takeaways.
With less than 2 minutes left in the game, the Jaguars attempted a two-point conversion while down four points. The Browns defense came up with a critical stop, as they sacked Lawrence, and the two-point conversion failed.
It sealed a strong day for the Browns defensively across the board. To open up the fourth quarter, Greg Newsome II intercepted Lawrence’s deep pass, and set the Browns offense up for a touchdown. Following the interception, on a fourth-and-3, QB Joe Flacco connected with David Bell in the open field for a 41-yard touchdown pass, which gave the Browns a 28-14 lead.
“Offensively we were a little disconnected,” Jaguars head coach Pederson said. “Trevor and the receivers were a little off. We had opportunities to make plays in the first half and didn’t. The turnovers are big, and you can’t do that. We had a little success early running the football with some of the things we did to keep them off balance, but just overall just not enough plays made and too many self-inflicted wounds that kept us from sustaining drives or staying on the field.”
To start the second half, Anthony Walker Jr. forced a fumble and recovered the ball to set the Browns up in the red zone. The Browns took advantage of the field position, as Kareem Hunt ran for 4 yards for the touchdown to put the Browns up 21-7.
“It just was not one of our cleaner games,” Lawrence said. “Too many mistakes, penalties, missed opportunities, missed throws … just not playing sound football.”
Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins’ 55-yard field with 3:10 remaining pushed the Browns’ lead to 31-21.
And with less than 2 minutes before the end of the first half, Martin Emerson Jr. picked off his second pass of the day and returned the interception for 11 yards. Emerson intercepted a pass on the Jaguars’ first offensive drive of the second quarter as well.
The Browns had a few key turnovers, however. In the third quarter, Flacco was sacked and fumbled the ball, which the Jaguars recovered to put them in the red zone. The Jaguars capitalized and scored a TD on a 1-yard carry from Travis Etienne Jr. to put the Jaguars down just one touchdown.
Then, in the second quarter, Flacco completed a pass to Amari Cooper for 19 yards, but the ball was fumbled, and the Jaguars recovered. On the second play of the ensuing drive, Lawrence connected with Engram for a TD.
Even with the turnovers, the Browns offense found enough success offensively in the passing game. During the second quarter, Flacco connected with David Njoku for his second touchdown of the day on a 30-yard pass completion. It began early on the opening drive of the game, as Flacco moved the Browns downfield by connecting with his pass catchers. Then, he found Njoku open for a 34-yard pass completion, who ran into the end zone for the touchdown.
Flacco threw for over 300 yards on Sunday. He finished the game completing 26-of-45 passes for 311 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
Cleveland’s defense asserted their dominance against the Jaguars, pressuring Lawrence and recording four sacks. They intercepted two of Lawrence’s passes, keeping the Jaguars from working their way downfield and in scoring position.
The Jaguars Darious Williams recorded two solo tackles and an interception. His four interceptions this season
leads the Jaguars defense and ties his career single-season high (2020). Additionally, his 19 passes defensed this season marks a career-high and the fourth-most by a Jaguar in a single season.
Jacksonville’s Devin Lloyd posted 11 total tackles (four solo) and one fumble recovery, his second fumble recovery this season and fourth in his career. Lloyd’s four fumble recoveries ties the most fumble recoveries by defensive player in the 2022 NFL Draft class.
The Jaguars return home for a Sunday night game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Injury Report (from Jaguars.com): Left tackle Ezra Cleveland sustained a second-quarter knee injury; he started Sunday for Little, who had been starting for Cam Robinson; Blake Hance played left tackle for Cleveland Sunday. Safety Andre Cisco sustained a groin injury in the second half.
(Photo by Matt Starkey/Cleveland Browns)
